Courtesy of Curtis Tinsley
A couple of quick bits of disclosure: For this every-other-week, digital conversation with local visual artists, I’ve known, to varying degrees, many of the subjects featured so far. But this time out, that’s not the case, having never knowingly chatted with Curtis Tinsley. In the interests of further disclosure, I’ve contributed to the local music monthly Eleven, through which I’ve become familiar with Tinsley’s wonderful, full-page comic, “Watcherr.”
In it, Tinsley explores the world of music through a recurring character, the titular Watcherr, who bounces through various situations in search of choice musical experiences. It’s a smart, clever, engaging piece of comic art in each edition. And once you become familiar with the vibe of the series, “Watcherr” becomes that much more appealing, a highlight of every Eleven.
We sent Tinsley the same seven questions shot out to each of our subjects, with answers below. Also note the list of additional links that Tinsley provided, bundled at the end of the piece; looking forward to digging into those added links for more comic goodness.
Art school? Self-taught? Some variety of both? Or none of the above?
My style is the culmination of an entire lifetime spent absorbing other people’s art & practicing obsessively. I never had the money to go to art school, but I don't like saying that I'm entirely self-taught, either. I spend a lot of time reading other comics and combing through artist blogs. For me, the most valuable art lessons are contained in the works of Windsor McCay, Herge, Katsuhiro Otomo, & Jean Girard.
Regarding your creative habits, are you a night owl or an early bird?
I don't really have an AM or PM approach to drawing. Three days a week, I'm a server at a busy corner cafe, and at least 70 percent of the rest of my time goes into art. Because of that slacker schedule, I basically get to work whenever I'm feeling inspired. (Or feeling pressure, if deadlines are in place.)
In basic terms, can you describe the set up and vibe of your studio?
Well, I work from home, so my "studio" is really just the other bedroom in an apartment I share with my girlfriend, Tricia. She's been very cool about letting me turn it into a productive setting. I'm definitely a cluttered guy though, so there's paper, equipment & supplies tucked everywhere. I also got a cat in here called Bermuda, who sits atop this '59 Wurlitzer suitcase piano my brother gave me.
What are your thoughts on crowdfunding for the arts? And is that option any part of your own approach to creating and selling work?
To be honest, I feel indifferent about crowdfunding. Of course, some amazing things have come from Kickstarter campaigns, and it's great when these projects come to fruition; but it seems like overkill for anything I would produce, at this stage. I couldn't imagine begging the Internet for the couple hundred bucks it takes to produce a few hundred comic books, when I could just fund it myself.
Do you have a dream project that lacks only funding (or time)?
Oh man, animation & cartoons. I've had a lot of practice with it, and I can put together some really polished blips of animated nonsense, but I've never had the time to really focus & create something substantial.
To what degree do you enjoy having public contact, whether that means selling your work at a fair, a gallery opening, etc.?
Public contact is great, but it's not a priority. I consider myself a pretty easy dude to connect with, and have participated in a few local art shows. When I switched my focus over to comics though, it really shaped me into a hermit.
If your band releases an album, you play shows & maybe tour to promote it. But with comics, you just sort of put it on a shelf & wait for people to check it out.
There's no real need to be in the public eye & maybe people will find it mysterious. Although, if I had the means to get to more of the specialized comic-cons, like Stumptown, ICAF and APE, I'd be at every one.
What other St. Louis artists inspire or motivate you?
Some names that immediately come to mind: Ted May, Sacha Mardou, Kevin Huizenga, Dan Zettwoch, Tim Lane, Jeremy Kannapell, Harold Covey, & Jon Strode.
Tinsley’s work has appeared in two local anthology zines, A Confluence of Crap and Scuzz Report; on album covers for Spelling Bee, Canyons, and Stonechat; and T-shirts for Yowie, Egg Chef & Spelling Bee. His list of books includes, “(released in this order): Ice Map No One, The Pride of God Island, Sand Level #1 & #2, Orbital Prowess, Stuck in No Time, [and] No Animals #1.” You can find some older but “relevant stuff," at Cargo, as well as an "on-pause scifi comic about masks & time travel," titled Cahokia Truth. A web comic series, Lazer Guitar, appeared for a time on the Wrong Division Blog. Oh yeah, this blog has a ton of stuff: curtistinsley.tumblr.com.
